Daily Blog

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Many of you have asked - did I make Joey and Shelly a wedding quilt? Up to now the answer was no - the Chuppah was very intense and required tons of hand work. However, in the back ground I started a quilt that would serve as their wedding quilt. Not only was it embriodered with their names and wedding date but also the bible verse, "I am my beloved and my beloved is mine" in English - this verse was hand embroidered on the Chuppah in Hebrew. This quilt was REALLY difficult for me as it was totally out of the box.- it got VERY mixed reactions when people saw it in progress - and may I add not good reactions. As the top drew to conclusion I was 100% stumped regarding how to quilt it. So last July, I tucked it away not knowing what to do, very discouraged.

FASTFORWARD: At this years retreat I brought it out and asked for a HONEST take on it - Paula Reid and others LOVED it - when I shared my distress regarding how to quilt it - Paula said, "I know exactly - please let me do it". When the quilt was finished and arrived back home, I got goose bumps when I saw it. Paula choose a tree of life for the quilting design and honestly, she did a spectacular job! To date this is perhaps the best quilt both she and I have collaborated on. Before giving it to the kids, I took it to Gregory Case/ our TQS Photo Man's house to get it photographed. I have to say that the measures he takes is extraordinary and fortunately I had my video camera to document the process. Soon I will share the process he goes to when snapping the pix of your quilt. It was quite an amazing process.  (We had to shrink the pictures to fit on the internet and they are not up to his standards.)

Oh yes - the kids love the quilt!

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Every year my personal web master, Matt (www.alexandersonquilts.com) comes up with something, well.........different! Last year was a pirate wig for John to wear and this year it is...................can you guess what this is? And do you have a VERY different gift that kept everyone talking? If so, please post it here. We will keep it up for a week or so, then take it down - so please share and let us know - we wanna see!

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When Adair was a little girl she asked Santa for L.A. Gear tennis shoes - imagine her surprise when she opened her package from Santa and there were 2 - left feet shoes! I can only imagine which elf got in BIG trouble!!! Last night we were invited to my friends house for supper - we always exchange a gift and I couldn't recall what I got for my friend............then all of a sudden I remembered what it was - Ricky's Christmas CD (she had seen him preform in Livermore). THEN I realized that her CD is in KS under another families Christmas tree (that story we will just pass on) . So I came up with the idea to wrap up one of my CD's and give it to her - so here is what I found - Ricky's Heart and Soul CD - check out the inscription inside and the year - perhaps that is when we first met! Hey Ricky - you are pretty awesome too!

Do you have any funny present "situations" you would care to share?

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Many of you are waiting to see the concert. Well, I have been working around the clock (literally) editing the video of the Christmas In a Small Town Concert. My goal was to have it posted this morning. However, I have two more songs to edit - so for those of you looking for it, my guess is that it will be posted later this evening (Christmas eve) or for certain on Christmas morning. Once the video is complete there are still several hours of formatting and uploading it so you can click to view it on our site. You won't want to miss it so check back soon. Barring any technical difficulties we'll be rockin' and rollin' in a few hours.

In the meantime, I've chosen not to include songs from this year's concert that were also presented last year. That is with the exception of Christmas in a Small Town. If you did NOT see last year's concert, it still lives in the Daily Blog archives. It would be worth looking at prior to viewing the new one I am working on. Here is the direct link to last year's concert posted on December 24, 2007.

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Ray of Light
American and Indonesian fabrics were used in this quilt which Jinny began in December 1976 and completed in October 1977. In 1977, this quilt was the winner over 10,000 entries in the Good Housekeeping and U.S. Historical society contest, The Great American Quilt. The Hindi translation of "Ray of Light" is "Kiran," the name of Jinny's daughter, who was born while the Beyers lived in India. (From www.jinnybeyer.com)

"It isn't like I sat down one day and said I want to be doing what I'm doing today, it's just like a slow road and you kind of just keep following the doors that open." - Jinny Beyer

Good advice for the New Year!

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Click on the Picture to see a short video.

Meet the remarkably talented Jinny Beyer and follow along as TQS is given a private tour of her property, quilt garden, and historic home.  A traditionalist in all sense of the word, Jinny creates each and every quilt entirely by hand while at the same time writing books and designing six fabric lines a year. 

What began with a Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt made in the early 1970's using only available fabrics from the local Indian market, lead to a life long journey of teaching and giving to other quilters throughout the world.  Jinny very generously shares insights into her fail proof color design theory, how a fabric line can sometimes come from inspiration in nature, as well as some of her earliest quilt masterpieces.  Our second Living Legend, and a show you will definitely now want to miss.  To watch the show click here.

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Webguru Bob has responded to your requests.  When you are in Show & Tell and the Challenges, click to make the picture full size.  Look above the picture for "Previous Image" and "Next Image".  You can now "flip" throught the pictures at full size without Going Back all the time.  When you want to go back, click on "All Images".  Thanks, Bob.

To see the Jinny Beyer promo, click on Jinny's quilt "Sundance" to the right.

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Photo by our good friend Judith Baker Montano

Good day to you all. As you can see by my posting that I have come out of the "production cave" and returned to the land of the living. Last night concluded the Christmas in a Small Town concert series - we did six concerts over three evenings. Those of you who have been around for a while will notice Kat Bowser once again came to sing - and she was wonderful as ever. However, for some of the songs our duo became a trio.Who might that be on the right in the photo above? Go ahead and guess, but don't look in the comments until you do. I've put the answer in the comments section.

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Lilo's Spaghetti on the Fly

As there are three men in my household, during the holiday's its all about meat, cheese, and pastries.  I usually begin the baking and prep-work the first week of December.  So when the men arrive home the fridge is stocked with spicy sausage balls, cheese ball, and cold cuts for any impromptu meals.  And of course the counter has a selection of assorted German cookies and sweets to nibble on. 

But for unexpected company, I usually whip up a fast and easy spaghetti recipe my mother brought back from Italy many years ago.  Most of the items I keep on hand in the pantry.  In less than two hours I can cook and serve this easy dish that has been a family favorite for many years.  Enjoy!

Lilo (TQSWizard)

Spaghetti with Bacon

8 Slices of bacon, cut into 1/2" pieces

1 Medium yellow or white onion, chopped finely

8-10 Mushrooms (your choice), cleaned and sliced

2 Whole cloves garlic, minced

2-8 oz (227g) cans tomato sauce

2 Cups (500 ml) water

1 Cube of beef bouillon

1 Bay leaf

1 Teaspoon Oregano

1 Teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 Teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1/2 cup (250ml) milk (your choice)

1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese + more for sprinkling on top

1 lb. spaghetti 

Fry bacon in a deep skillet and set aside.  Drain pan, but reserve about 1 Tablespoon of the grease.  Over medium heat add the onion and cook till clear in the bacon grease.  Add remaining ingredients except for the milk and cheese.  Bring to a boil, then turn down and simmer for 45 minutes. 

About 15 minutes before the sauce is finished begin cooking the pasta.  5 minutes before serving remove the bay leaf from the sauce, and add the milk and grated cheese.  Stir to let cheese melt a bit. Be sure to keep the heat under the pan low!  Drain pasta and add quickly to the sauce.  Serve immediately with more cheese if desired.

Makes 6 servings 

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This time of year, our calendars are filled with holiday parties, open houses and drop-ins.  And customary in the South, you never go to someone's house empty handed.  So when I need a quick hostess gift, or have an impromtu get-together at our house, I whip together this fast and yummy dip...thanks to my friend Joy who introduced it to me.  It is perfect with chips, crackers, toast points, pretzels, veggies... whatever you have on hand.  It's the kind of dip that everyone (even kids) love!  And can be reheated nicely.  When I take this as a gift, I put the dip in a bakeable holiday crock or bowl and leave the container - and recipe- as a gift for the hostess!  TQS Ruth

Hot Swiss Cheese Dip

2-8oz cream cheese blocks, softened

1 cup mayonnaise

2 cups shredded swiss cheese

minced onion, to taste (I do about 1 TBSP, or even leave it out)

minced bacon, to taste

1 cup crushed Ritz crackers

Mix all ingredients together and top with the crackers.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.  Enjoy!